


A Real Home

by Ashfen



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Ash and the gang get to be fucking kids for once, Ash doesn't know the difference between formal and informal Japanese, Ash goes to therapy, Ash has depression and anxiety I don't make the rules, Ash you are going to heal from your trauma whether you want to or not, Banter, Butchering of a perfectly good Aerosmith song, Cain is an E🅱️ic gamer, Childhood Trauma, Christmas, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Humor, Ibe is still Eiji's second dad, In theory Max is a horribly irresponsible father but in practice he's great at it, Long Distance Relationships, M/M, Max and Jessica adopt Ash, Max and Jessica love to embarrass their son in public spaces, Maybe - Freeform, Multi, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon Fix-It, Sing has a twitch, Smash ultimate has a weird role in this fic, Therapy, Yut-Lung has a crush, canon is fake we all know that, does Alex have a crush on Bones?, jumping between languages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24062143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashfen/pseuds/Ashfen
Summary: Before Ash can follow Eiji to Japan, the friends he made along the way seem to want to make things as hard as possible for him.Mainly Max. Go to hell Max.
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Bones/Kong (Banana Fish), Lee Yut-Lung & Sing Soo-Ling, Max Lobo/Jessica Randy
Comments: 11
Kudos: 123





	1. Family

**Author's Note:**

> Fuck canon endings all my homies hate canon endings  
> Also I'm sure this has been done a million times but do I care? No. Do you care? Probably not.

The last thing Ash remembered was finishing Eiji's letter to him in the library. So why was he in the hospital again? He was only just barely aware of the tubes attached to his arms, and his entire body felt like it was made of lead - lead that was underwater at that. God, the bill he was probably racking up at that point was probably more money than any normal person would ever see in their lifetime. Of course, calling this particular teen a normal person was a surefire way to get laughed at.  
Ash Lynx was by no means a normal person, and - as he knew for certain now - that meant he needed to be kept far, far away from normal people; he'd just hurt them otherwise.

So of course his first words to Max once he'd recovered enough to actually have a conversation without passing out halfway through were "go home".  
"What? Why?"  
"It's not safe for you guys to be around me."  
"Oh, _now_ you tell me."  
"Ha ha. I'm serious."  
"So am I Ash! If I didn't already know that I was putting myself at risk every time I associated with you, do you think I'd still be coming to your rescue every other week?"  
They stared at each other silently for a few moments before Ash's face softened. "Come on old man, it's only about once a month."  
"Bullshit!" Then they were both laughing, and Max was the one to settle first. "Eiji made it to Japan just fine before you ask. Him and Ibe are both in the dark about you getting stabbed, too."  
"Good. Let it stay that way." Green eyes scanned the room for any means of telling the date, but found nothing. "How long have I been here?"  
"A week. You probably would've already been out by now if you'd just gone to the hospital right away."  
His expression turned grim. "You know why I couldn't."  
"Better to be alive and in jail than dead, Ash."

He scowled some, but shook his head. "Are they waiting for me to be discharged?"  
"Actually... your name's been cleared."  
Ash scoffed. "Stop joking around pops, when are they coming?"  
"They aren't, I'm serious!"  
"How the hell did my name get cleared?!"  
"Ask Sing, not me!"  
"Well where the hell is Sing?"  
"He's with Yut-Lung on a trip somewhere. They didn't know you got stabbed until after they left."  
"How long until they're back?"  
"A week."  
"And how long until I get discharged?"  
"Shouldn't be more than three days now that you're consistently awake… Seriously, I still can't believe you lost that much blood over being stabbed there… just how long did it take for anyone to notice you?"  
The teen shrugged.

~

A day later, Max was back with a few documents in hand and Jessica in tow as he took a seat next to the bed. He wasn't looking forward to the inevitable smart-ass remarks from the teen.  
"Ash, now that things are starting to settle, we need to talk about something."  
"What, is it payment?"  
Max's eyes widened in bewilderment. "Wha– no! Why would anyone be asking you for payment?!"  
"Because… we did a job… and generally people want to get paid for doing jobs? Especially ones where they risked their lives?"  
"Well then consider agreeing to this as our payment."  
"Agreeing to what?"  
"You'll see."  
The teen's eyes narrowed. "Max this is uninformed consent you're attempting here, and I'm pretty sure it's illegal."  
"You–! Since when do _you_ of all people care about legality!"  
"Well why shouldn't I? It'd be fitting to stay out of trouble now that my name's cleared, right?"

He rolled his eyes before sighing. "Okay, look: Jessica and I wanna adopt you."  
Ash opened his mouth to say something that would no doubt irk the man to no end - coy smirk and everything - but cut himself off before a single word could get out as his expression changed. "Wait. What?"  
Jessica chimed in. "You deserve to have a real sense of family."  
"Besides: if you go off and get into trouble again _anyway_ , it'll be a lot easier for us to get in and help you if we can legally say you're our son. It's practical."  
"Max, you really didn't need to say that."  
"What, it'll help! The kid's a practical thinker, not a sentimentalist!"  
Jessica huffed loudly and placed her hands on her hips. "But now it sounds insincere _Maxwell!_ "

They were interrupted by a barely muffled fit of giggles from Ash. "Your name is _Maxwell?_ "  
"No, but Jess seems to need to add another syllable to my name when she's mad at me."  
"It's for emphasis."  
Once again Ash was snickering, but it was quickly replaced by uncertainty. "And you guys are serious about this?" They both nodded, and the teen smiled some. "Alright then, I'll give it a shot at least."  
Max was flabbergasted. "You can't just give being part of a family 'a shot'!"  
"Come on old man, where's your sense of humor?"  
"It died the moment I met you."  
Ash grinned cheekily and it didn't take long for Max to cave in, Jessica already laughing along.

~

In a week Ash was packing what he felt important enough to take with him to Max and Jessica's home - begrudgingly his new one after they insisted that he needed a "home environment that wasn't a gang hideout". He didn't have much to bring to begin with, and it wasn't a big deal to leave things behind. It was just in a different part of Manhattan: apparently before the divorce the two had a place in Turtle Bay which Max kept.  
He was in the middle of sorting some books when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

**Shut up you're like 10**

heard ur outta the hospital ☠️☠️

Yeah  
Been out for almost a week  
You and the prettyboy back yet?

Omfg he's gonna die when he finds out you called him prettyboy

He hate me that much?

Yknow ehat sure

Ehat

I'm gonna ehat ut mom

Ut

🔫

Shoot me coward you won't

Just come over asshole  
We gotta talk

Already planned to  
Be there in an hour

With that his break from packing was in motion as he went to get dressed.

~

Sing was in the doorway with a large grin within moments of the teen knocking. "Ash!"  
From inside, presumably from Yut-Lung, "操，他已经在这里?!"  
"Hurry up，否则你会想念你的男朋友的!"  
"我要用石头砸你!"  
Ash raised an eyebrow, but the younger teen just grinned. "I told you he'd die if he found out."  
"So this is him dying?"  
"死于恋爱病... Sorry, I made an oath not to actually say any of it to you."  
"Is that oath debatable?"  
"Nope! Come in?"

~

"They seriously adopted you?"  
"Yeah, I can't believe it either. They have me moving in and everything."  
"You're moving?!"  
Of all people he expected to react like that, the one he least expected was Yut-Lung, yet that was who had just entered the room. His hair was braided into some kind of complicated looking style, and Ash stared at him in confusion for a second.  
"Yeah? To Turtle Bay."  
All shock on his face vanished within a second. "Oh." He huffed and sat down next to Sing. "How awful."  
"What, are you afraid I'll bother you more often now that I'm closer?"  
"That's precisely the problem."  
"Just for that I'll make a habit of it."  
Yut-Lung turned up his nose at him. Literally. "Do be sure to say something before you do… I'll need time to secure any valuables."  
"Nope, I'm gonna drop in unannounced every time. I'll steal everything within a week."  
"I'd like to see you try!"  
"Sheesh, get a room next time you guys wanna flirt."

The older Chinese noticeably bristled at that, and harshly glared at the other. "兴 秀玲如果你继续这样我会把你的–"  
"放松，我在帮助!"  
"您对帮助的想法太明显了!"  
Ash was getting impatient. He loudly cleared his throat before crossing his arms. "Are you done?"  
Yut-Lung shot a pointed glare in his direction. "In China, good children sit quietly and wait until they're spoken to. It's a quality American children seem to lack."  
He ignored him and turned to Sing. "You know why I'm here."  
"Yeah, I do. But first I have a question of my own." The boy stared at him without a trace of the humor he'd had just moments ago. "Who stabbed you?"  
Ash tensed, then shrugged as he began to turn away. "I told you, I didn't know the guy-"  
"You're not going to lie to my face." The other had grabbed his arm and tugged him to face forward again, his expression unchanged if a bit more irritated. "Tell me the truth. No matter what it is."  
He sighed deeply, but gave up within moments. "It was Lao."  
" _What?_ "  
"He was bound to do something foolish eventually."  
"What he said. We both knew he was going to do _something_ , I just didn't think it was gonna happen so soon."  
"I…" Sing was in grim shock, and he blankly fell back onto the seat with Yut-Lung. "... what happened to him Ash?"  
"I shot him. Didn't realize it was Lao until after."

The boy's face fell after that, and he ran his hands through his hair as the other Chinese huffed impatiently. "This is all very sad and all, but could we move this along? A certain Lynx's presence irks me."  
Ash just shrugged. "You're free to leave at any time Yut-Lung."  
He looked as if the other had just insulted his very being, dramatic gasp and all. "This is _my_ house!"  
"Exactly. Go sit in your room or something."  
"For all the social pedicuring Dino _supposedly_ put you through, you have a ridiculous lack of grace!"  
"I don't go through the extra effort of niceties with children."  
" _You're only two years older than me!_ "  
"And a decade ahead of you in maturity."  
"Ha! As if!"

" _Alright._ Cut it out. Sheesh, am I gonna be this annoying when I'm older?" Both of the older teens glared at Sing for that, to which he only grinned sheepishly. "Anyway, what happened with the charges was pretty odd actually."  
"Dino had a will written out that said as long as it was apparent that you weren't the direct cause of his death, then any legal trouble you may have been in should be disregarded so that you could easily continue as his heir. There was two million set aside stated as being 'unrelated', but it was obvious that it was for any bribes that might have to take place to clear up your legal trouble."  
"And since I counted as a witness to Dino's death - and the fact that you didn't do it - we could collect the bribe money and get to work."  
" _After_ taking a portion as payment for our charitable kindness of course."

Sing rolled his eyes and smiled. "He says that, but he worked really hard to make sure the bribes worked."  
"I did no such thing."  
"Oh come on，您几乎完成了所有操作."  
Yut-Lung was clearly offended. "您现在就拿回去! "  
"我敢说你甚至关心他吗?"  
Ash couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, but the older Chinese's face had suddenly gone a bright red as his eyes widened. The younger one on the other hand was grinning mischievously.  
"如果您一直这样说，我会把您喂给狼！ 你听到我了吗? _Wolves!_ "  
"And where are you gonna find wolves?"  
"I– you– 闭嘴，蠕虫!"

With that Yut-Lung stood up and stormed off in a huff, his face still red as his braid swung behind him. Ash looked to Sing for an explanation, but only got a smug smirk. "There are some things about Yut-Lung that I think he'd rather die than have you find out about."  
"Any of this information for sale? It'd be good to have some collateral against him."  
"Nah. I'll tease him about it all day, but it'd be cruel to sell this stuff."  
"So it's nothing serious."  
"No, it's definitely serious. At least for him."  
Ash rolled his eyes.

~

Once Ash had left, Sing went to find the other teen, still chuckling to himself about it. Upon entering Yut-Lung's room, he got hit in the face with a pillow.  
"I hope you know that I hate you with every fiber of my being."  
Tossing the pillow of mass destruction aside, he went to sit down next to the older on the sofa. "Yeah, yeah. At least I didn't say it in English."  
"I would've slaughtered you right there if you had."  
"好像你能抓住我."  
"Don't test me Sing."  
"Aw come on, you'd miss me; I'm your best friend."  
"我的 'best friend' 一瓶酒."  
"You know, most 16 year olds aren't raging alcoholics."  
Yut-Lung huffed and sulkily turned his head from him, his arms crossed over his chest. "Most 14 year olds aren't as insufferable as you."  
Sing laughed and shrugged. "Yeah, love you too dude."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've repressed so much of banana fish that I have no idea if anyone is even in character or not  
> Do I care? Hell no I'm vibing with this


	2. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A present from Ibe offers a second chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this is a Christmas chapter in the middle of May fuck off I do what I want  
> Plus the series ends in December _anyway_

"Christmas?"  
"Well, yeah. What's Christmas been like for you?"  
He thought back on it. It had been awhile, but he could still remember the small celebrations he and Griffin had over the holidays. Ash smiled nostalgically at the memories.  
"In the past Griff and I would play in the snow and go around town on Christmas day. It was… fun." Ash's fond smile grew cold for a few moments before he continued. "And with my guys they always drag me into doing Secret Santa with them."  
"Do they?"  
"Every year without fail. Alex is in charge of it."  
"Do you think you'll spend it with them this year?"  
"Probably not. I wanted to spend some time to myself, think about things you know?"  
"Yeah, I get that. Though… would you be opposed to spending Christmas with us?"  
"Seriously?"  
"Well, yeah. Since you're living with us now and all."

Ash fell silent. It was time to play the guessing game of 'are they actually serious or are they offering out of obligation?'  
"Let's assume for a second that I said yes. What would that look like?"  
"Michael would probably wake us all up at the crack of dawn to open presents, to start. After that Jessica and I'll make breakfast, and we'll spend the rest of the day watching Christmas movies and checking in with friends and family." Max thought for a moment. "Oh, though this Christmas might be a bit different."  
"Why?" The man grinned but shook his head. What the hell was that supposed to mean? "You guys don't visit anyone?"  
"Nah, my folks don't want to see me and Jessica's parents don't know I'm back in her life."  
"Oh."  
"So? What do you think you'll do?"  
The teen sighed. "Well… fine, I guess. You'll probably just be worried if I don't."  
"We would be very concerned, yes."  
"So I _actually_ don't have a choice unless I want to sit through a talk."  
Max shrugged a bit.

~

_How the fuck was it already Christmas?_

Just as promised, Ash was blearily sitting in the living room at - he glared daggers at the clock - _6:19 in the morning? Who the fuck wakes up that early without a gun to their head?_ The answer was Micheal on Christmas. Max and Jessica seemed to share the teen's sentiment on the hour, both seeming on the verge of falling back asleep while Michael stared at them for confirmation that he could open his presents. Raising a finger gun to the ceiling with a yawn, Max let out a tired 'bang' before the boy tore into the wrapping paper.  
Alright, _maybe_ this was worth waking up at the asscrack of dawn for.

" _Smash bros ultimate!!!_ " came from across the room and Ash glanced over to see Michael holding some case.  
"That's… the fighting game, right?"  
Max laughed. "You sound so unsure about it!"  
"I've never played a video game pops, how should I know?"  
Uh oh. The old man was giving him one of those shocked pity looks. The only thing to come out of those looks was trouble.

~

" _The winner is… Bayonetta!_ "  
Within three hours Ash had learned the controls, helped Michael get through almost half of the world, and _thoroughly_ whipped both father and son… ten times in a row. He was still basking in his success when Max sighed.  
"Alright Ash, you've proven that you're good at everything you do with minimal effort, so why don't you take a break? There's an interesting note for you on the counter."  
He shrugged and got up from off the floor, leaving Micheal to play on his own in the meantime.

_His number's +81-0852-××××××.  
Call him. He still doesn't know. Ibe doesn't either.  
He's trusting you._

_  
-Max_

Oh.  
Well shit.  
There went his plans of letting Eiji go.

~

Ash had shut himself in his room since he read the note. That had been two days ago. So of course Max had to bug him after spotting the teen in the kitchen. What was that boy doing now?  
… eating a sandwich over the sink. In the dark. Great.  
"So?" Ash snorted and dropped the sandwich, coughing loudly and beating his chest. Jesus, had he choked? "Have you called him yet?"  
Ash's face paled. "Right. That." His phone screen gave the only illumination in the room, and so Max approached. Glancing over Ash's shoulder: the contact page of… 'Love of my life and only chance at happiness. No pressure.'

A very, _very_ tired sigh was pointed in the teen's direction.  
"Ash."  
"What?"  
" _Ash._ "  
"It's not like he'll see it!"  
"The problem is that _you're_ seeing it. You'll psych yourself out like this." As he spoke Max swiped the phone from the teen, sparking Ash to immediately start grabbing for it back. Max however had the advantage of Long Dad Arms with which he could hold the phone hostage above his head with.  
"Maxwell I will get on top of this table if you don't tell me what you're doing, and you and I both know that Jess will yell at us if I do."  
"I'm changing his name in your phone."  
"Why?!"  
"Because it's not healthy to stress yourself out like this!" He continued to fiddle with the phone for a few moments before tossing it back to Ash. "There. How's that?"

His eyes scanned over the new name before he frowned. "'puppy dog eyes'? What the hell kind of a name is that?"  
"It's better than your 'no pressure' nonsense!"  
Ash huffed and hastily fiddled with his own phone before Max's vibrated in his pocket.

**Ash**

Fuck off Maxwell

Did you just

  
Did you really text me just to say fuck off

Michael's on the stairs and I'm not getting nagged at for being the reason he hears fuck

Max's eyes widened and he poked his head out from the kitchen. "Michael?"  
A child's head popped up from the banister in return. "What is it papa?"  
_Oh christ he really was there._ "Uh… don't hide up there okay? Not unless you need to."  
"Okay!"  
Ash's shrug irked him more than anything had in awhile.  
"What are you even doing still up?"

~

"It's just a phonecall Ash. You'll be fine." He muttered to himself, staring intensely at the screen in front of him.  
Japan was on the other side of the world. What time was it for them? What if he was calling in the middle of the night? A quick search showed that it was almost ten in the morning for them. Jeez, thirteen hours ahead? Well, Eiji always woke up early (like a senior citizen), so he had probably already started his day.  
So the teen reluctantly tapped "call" and listened to it ring with held breath.  
He picked up after the second ring. "もしもし?"  
"Hey! Uh, I–"  
"Ash?"  
Oh _christ_ the way Eiji said his name like that left him with his face burning up. He sounded _awestruck._ Over _him!_  
"Yeah… it's me."  
Silence on the other end. Oh god, had he done something? Did international calls take longer to hang up?  
"... I'm at work right now. Can I call you in a bit?"  
"Yeah! Yeah, of course."  
"Thank you."  
"Yeah. Uh, sayona–"  
"Don't say that!"  
"I– yeah. Sorry."  
He heard the other sigh on the other end. "I'll teach you a better way to say goodbye later, alright?"  
"Alright. See you."  
Eiji hung up first.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK. He'd fucked it all up, why the hell did he think saying 'sayonara' would be a good idea?! Fuck! All this intelligence they said he had and he couldn't hold a proper conversation for shit! Just how stupid was he?!

**Days Without Sending A Meme: 5**

Hey

  
I know I told you to fuck off like

  
Half an hour ago but

What's up bud?

I called Eiji

And?

And I think he hates me now

Do you wanna talk about it?

Yeah

Come on downstairs bud

Can we have some of the ice cream?

1 bowl

3

2

Deal

~

"Well, I can certainly see how that would upset him."  
"Right?"  
"But I can also see how you meant it to come across."  
Ash was lying on the sofa across from Max and Jessica while pouting at a bowl of mint ice cream resting on his stomach, his legs dangling off the other arm rest. Rule one of being Ash Lynx: always take up as much space as possible when it won't be detrimental. "So what now?"  
"Now you just wait for him to call back."  
"Wh– that's it?"  
"Yeah. Not much else you can do."  
He scoffed. "I thought you'd be able to help more. So much for 'older and wiser'." That earned him a half-hearted swat from Jessica.  
"Sorry kiddo, I'm not in the business of complicated relationships with men."  
Defeated, the teen grumpily continued his work on the ice cream in front of him.  
"Y'know, I'm pretty sure this is the most vulnerable you've ever been around us."  
"So?"  
"It's not that bad. You should let your guard down more often."  
"Thanks! I feel very safe now, not at all like someone's going to come kill me in my sleep now."  
"Ash, you're safe here."  
"You don't know that." Oops. They were giving him _that_ look now. He quickly finished off the rest of the ice cream and stood up. "Anyway thanks for listening to me, it wasn't a complete waste of time after all." Ash was hastily washing out the dish and already halfway up the stairs by the time he tossed out a faux casual 'Night' to his – parents? Oh god, they _were_ his parents now.

~

**Puppy Dog Eyes**

Sorry if I was curt earlier. (⌒_⌒;)

I was in the middle of something.

It's fine

Are you free to talk now? (ᵔ.ᵔ)

Happy holidays, by the way! (o´▽`o)

Yeah

Happy holidays

Do you guys do Christmas in Japan?

Yes, we do! (¯▿¯)

I imagine it's not very different from how you do it in America.

Did you get anything from anyone? (・・ ) ?

Well

The old man got Michael some game

Then said it was for both of us

Σ(￣。￣ﾉ)

How does that work?

Oh

Uh

Right

You don't know yet

(-_-;)・・・

Max and Jessica adopted me

And I'm staying with them now

Ooh, congratulations!

☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆

Eiji I have a favor to ask

(・・ ) ?

Never stop sending those

They're really cute

(*ﾉωﾉ) Thank you…

Call now?

Yeah of course

His phone was vibrating within a minute, and he picked up immediately.  
"Eiji?"  
"Ash!"  
Oh that gave him… feelings. Strong ones. Mostly the ones that make you want to squeeze something. Ew.  
"Hey, there's… a lot that happened."  
"Ibe-san told me most of it." _What._ "He heard from Max." _WHAT._ "And we all share the sentiment that you're an idiot for not going to the hospital!"  
"Eiji, I–"  
"I thought you said you didn't want to die!"  
"... The situation changed?"  
"... I'm going to come back to New York with the _biggest_ pumpkin I can find, and I'm marching _right_ up to your–"  
"I get it! I get it. No need to threaten me."  
He heard Eiji sigh on the other end again. "Your life matters to a great many people Ash. Don't treat it so lightly."  
_Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfu_ "Right. Yeah."  
A long silence. _Shit._  
"Did Sing give you the letter?  
"Yeah, he did."  
"... Did you read it?"  
"... Yeeaaaaah?"  
"Did you… understand… what it meant?"  
_Oh._ "Oh… Yeah."  
"If I… if I misunderstood your intentions, then all you have to say is–"  
"You didn't!" Oh shit, he yelled that. "You didn't misunderstand anything."

There was a loud sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness… I was afraid I'd bore my heart for someone who didn't even think that way."  
"'Bore your heart'? Why are you saying it like that?"  
"Because I think it sounds nice."  
Ash snickered a bit. "That's cute."  
He listened to Eiji stammer on the other end with a smug grin; he could already see him blushing bright red. It'd be nice to turn it on him for a change.  
"AnywayIneedtogetbacktoworknowsoImgoingtogookaybyeloveyou!" Then he was gone, leaving Ash more confused than anything.

"Just what was that last bit…?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My only justification is that smart people are statistically more likely to develop anxiety and depression


	3. Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max you may have the best intentions but you're still a DICK

"Ash, how would you feel about joining me in Japan?"

He blinked. "What?"

They were _supposed_ to just be having a casual talk like they did every evening, but it looked like that had been thrown out the window.

"Well before… what happened with Lao, that was the plan right?"

Shit. It was wasn't it? Japan. Eiji had brought it up plenty of times before when he had been in America, and Ash had played along for most of it, but the idea seemed so daunting now.

"I mean… would you want me to?"

"I wouldn't have offered otherwise."

"My Japanese is still terrible."

"You can learn! Besides, I didn't mean very soon."

"What would I even do for work there?"

"We'll find you something."  
He must've seemed doubtful, because Eiji gave a smile.  
"I promise, you won't have to do anything like before."  
He didn't respond, and just looked away some as he heard the other sigh.  
"Ash, if you don't want to, just tell me. I really don't mind."

"It's not like I don't want to, I'm just… nervous, I guess."

"You have every right to be anxious about something like this. Why don't you think about it on your own before giving me an answer? I don't want to pressure you into a yes."

He sighed a bit, but nodded.  
"Alright, I'll think about it."

He thought about it for two weeks before finally agreeing and going to talk to Max about it.

"Absolutely not."

"What?!"

"You have unresolved trauma here in New York, and you're just trying to run away from it by moving to Japan."

"Your _mom_ has unresolved trauma!"

"Oh real mature Ash!"  
Scowling, he turned away as Max continued.  
"Eiji told me everything."

He scoffed. Eiji knew how personal this stuff was; he wouldn't have told. Max was just bluffing.  
"Oh yeah? And just what's that 'everything' he's told you?"

"The nightmares for one; he told me those have been going on even before he left. Or maybe just how often you talk to him about dying?"  
Oh shit, Eiji _did_ rat him out.  
"We're all worried about you."

Oh no, they were worried about him. His guys had been worried about him once. That ended in seven dead and three in critical condition.  
Never again.

"Well you don't have to worry because I'm _fine_."

"People who are fine don't have nightmares like that on a regular basis Ash."  
The teen rolled his eyes.  
"They don't instinctively reach for a weapon at any unexpected sound either."

"That's only because of the environment I grew up in!"

"And that environment left you with unresolved trauma! Why is that such a baffling concept to you?"

"Because I'd know if I had unresolved trauma, and I _don't_ have any!"

Max started to speak but stopped himself about five times before he sighed and shook his head.  
"We're looking into a therapist for you Ash. End of story."

"He said that?"

"Yeah."  
He was at the Lee estate in Chinatown once again, though Cain was there as well this time. Apparently Sing had become fairly good friends with him at some point; they hung out often.  
"I don't get it! Honestly, if any of us needs therapy it's Yue-lung."

The teen in question shot him a harsh glare.  
"I do not! What would I even need it for anyway?!"

"For wanting to hook up with a grown man."

The emotions that ran across Yue-lung's face in the next two seconds seemed to primarily be anger and embarrassment, but there were at least ten others in there as well before he spoke.  
"Why are you white?"

Next thing he knew Ash was on the floor wheezing and Sing was slapping his hand against the table, both laughing so hard that they were red in the face. In the corner of his eye Ash could even spot Cain trying to hide a grin as Yue-lung's blank confusion turned to flustered panic. The teen grinned as he pulled himself together enough to speak.

"Well, I wasn't always white."

Sing fought back a grin.  
"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. See, when I first came to New York I was– was pretty dark. But then–"  
Oops, he was snickering already. He had to press on.  
"Then Cain stole my melanin so that he could– be the true black king of Harle–"  
He couldn't keep a straight face anymore as he started laughing all over, although Cain didn't seem amused.

"I'm not that dark."

" _That's my point!_ "

The other two teens had joined in by then - though Yue-lung tried to hide his involvement by attempting to cover his snickers with a cough - as Cain just sighed.

**💕Baby you're my AAAAANNNGEEELLL💕**

Therapy?

Yeah  
Isn't it so stupid?

(↼_↼)  
I don't think it is actually.

Seriously?

Wouldn't it help?

Help with what?

(-_-;)・・・

Oh right  
Of course you'd think there was something wrong with me  
I forgot you were the one who told Max and Jessica

Ash…

Forget I said anything.

And yet two weeks later there he was, sitting in the furthest corner of the waiting room with his arms and legs crossed so tightly that he was sure there'd be bruises later. Rule two of being Ash Lynx: when in an unsafe situation, cover up everything and look as small as possible.  
Why the hell did he have to be here? So what if he didn't think or act like "normal kids" do? Why did he need to act like them? It was his own way of coping, wasn't it?

"Aslan Callanreese?"  
Fuck, he'd jumped at his name being called. Too tense. Maybe if he didn't move they'd give up and he wouldn't have to come back. That'd be great.  
Suddenly there was a woman in his face.  
"You are Aslan Callanreese, right?"

"Shit!"  
He jumped back and reflexively reached behind him in an instant, having empty hands aimed between her–  
Wait. Empty hands? He could hardly breathe as his mind scraped for an explanation until he remembered: No gun. Right.  
"Sorry, I just–"

"Are you alright? I didn't mean to startle you."

It wasn't like he planned to use it at any point while he was there, it was just in case. But no, he wasn't allowed to keep it at the house, and Jessica even had the nerve to frisk him before letting him go into the damn office in case he tried to sneak it in. Old hard-ass.

"You're fine. I'm, uh, fine. Did you recognize me off of some article or something?"

She smiled and gestured around the waiting room. He was the only one there besides her.  
"Take a wild guess."  
Of course. Fucking moron.  
"Would you follow me please?"

"So how was it?"

"Fine."  
He was staring out the window of Jessica's car on the way back to the house, stuck in traffic.  
"You didn't have to pick me up."

"We had to make sure you actually _went_."

"You guys can't trust me as far as you can throw me, can you?"

"Oh, quit pouting."  
He huffed and scowled.  
"What was her name again? Tammy?"

"Not even close."

"So then what is it, master of names?"

"Rebecca Bloomings."

"Think she's a keeper?"

"Maybe."

"What's that mean?"

"It means I wouldn't mind speaking to her again, but I doubt she'll have me back."

"Oh boy. What'd you do, Ash?"

He felt his face heat up in embarrassed humiliation at the event.  
"She startled me. I went to shoot her. There was no gun."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yeah. She didn't even flinch though."  
He thought for a bit, then sighed.  
"I guess that's why I felt… more willing to open up to her, I guess?"

"Ohhh, so you opened up huh?"

"Yeah. I know, real shocker."

"And what did she say?"

He thought back on it some with a small huff.  
"Almost guaranteed PTSD, depression and anxiety are possible as well."

Jessica whistled in amazement.  
"All that from 50 minutes?"

"I doubt the incident in the waiting room helped."

"Fair point."  
There was a lull in the conversation for a bit before she smiled.  
"We're eating out tonight, to celebrate. Anywhere in particular you wanna go?"

Before everything he would've defaulted to Chang Dai, but he still couldn't bring himself to face Nadia after what happened to Shorter. After what he _did_ to Shorter.  
So Ash just shrugged.  
" Anything but Italian."

**💕Baby you're my AAAAANNNGEEEEEELLL💕**

How did it go?

Ugh

(>_<)

She understood too much  
I need to see her again next week

(・・ ) ? Was it good, or not?

I don't know

(¯ ¯٥)  
You can be so cryptic…

How else am I supposed to be cool and mysterious?

(￢ ￢)

Suddenly his phone was snatched from above.  
"Hey–!"

"You've been staring at your phone all night kiddo! What could be so interesting hm?"  
Once again Max had stolen his phone, and he was intensely studying the screen.  
"I didn't know you listened to Aerosmith."

"Griffin did. A lot of what I listen to comes from him."

"Oh."  
Max grinned.  
"But it's cute that Eiji's your _angel_ ~"

"Stop."

"Hmm? I think somebody's _blushing_ ~"

Jessica poked a cheek that he knew was dark red, and he quickly turned away and pouted.  
"I'm not blushing."

"Ash's boyfriend is his _aaaangel_ ~"

He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, face still red.  
"I swear to god if you two start singing I'm rioting."

"Max if you _don't_ sing I'm rioting!"

" _He's aloooooooone!_ "

" _OH MY GOD._ "  
Ash covered as much of his face as possible with his hood as Jessica laughed and pulled out her phone.

" _He doesn't know if he can faaaace the niiiiight!_ "

"You're not even singing it right!"

" _He's in teeeeears! And the cryin' that he does is for youuuuuuuu!_ "

"I don't know you people, why am I sitting at this table–"

" _Ash wants your love! Just break the walls between you! Don't make it tough! He'll put away his pride! Enough's enough! He's suffered and he saw the liiiiiiiiiiight!_ "

"NO."

" _Eiiiiiiji you're his AAAAANNNGEEELLL! Come and save him tooniiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!_ "

Ash groaned loudly and put his head on the table to try and drown him out.

**Family chat**

_She-devil  
Sent an attachment_

_Boomer_  
Whoa, you got the whole thing!

_She-devil_  
😤 Ofc I did  
What's Eiji's #?

NO  
YOU ARE NOT SENDING THAT TO HIM

_She-devil_  
Too late it's sending

I hate this family

_She-devil_  
Love you too 😘

**💕Eiji💕**

I thought it was sweet! (*^^*)

You weren't the one who had an entire restaurant staring at you while an old guy stood on the table singing like a toad

I don't think I've actually heard the original, now that I think about it?

I'll sing it for you properly sometime  
💕

(≧◡≦) ♡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost there guys! I'm excited! What do you think about the new formatting? Do I keep it, or go back to the old one?


	4. Goals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been almost a year since Ash was stabbed by Lao, and hard work is finally paying off.

"You wanted to talk?"

He nodded. "I'm leaving. Soon. Disbanding my gang too."  
"You're telling me this why?"  
"Because I need a favor." Deep breath. Cain was a trustworthy guy. "A long time ago, Shorter and I made an agreement that if I died, he would take over my gang."  
"Not your second in command?"  
Ash laughed and shook his head. "Alex can't keep a handle on them full time." It didn't take long before his smile fell. "Me going to Japan isn't much different than me dying, y'know."  
"But Shorter's gone."  
"Right. I'm sure Sing would love to keep our agreement for him, but he's still just a kid; it's no different from me leaving them to fend for themselves."

The man frowned, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Get to the point Ash."  
He could always count on Cain to keep things blunt. Another deep breath.  
"If any of my guys go to you, take them in okay?"

Cain scoffed. "You want me to open my gang to your little white boys?"  
"I know I'm asking for a lot, but I can't think of a safer place for them."  
"Do they even know you're leaving?"  
"... No."  
"Tell them. Then you'll get an answer from me."

It had been months since Eiji had first asked him to come to Japan, and Ash was _fucking exhausted._ His birthday had passed without much incident - other than his guys almost burning down the hideout trying to make a cake - and his gift from Max and Jessica had been the promise of paying for half the cost of the ticket once he was out of therapy. So he'd been working too of course, and then at night he'd work on his Japanese with Eiji and occasionally Ibe.  
Sleep? What the fuck was that?

**💕Love of my life💕**

How about this phrase?  
僕はアパートを手に入れた.

"I got the apartment."  
Wait really?

ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

サイコ!!!

Σ(O_O)  
Where did you learn that?

Ibe's been teaching me some phrases here and there

彼はあなたに悪いものを教えました...

What's bad about it?

I will tell you later  
For now, don't use it.

はーい

So Eiji was moving out of his parents' house. You didn't even want to _think_ about renting an apartment in New York, so Ash was surprised to say the least.

His next paycheck would put him at the $3,600 he'd need for the other half, and he'd been planning to tell Rebecca this in their session, but she had other plans.

"Let's talk about your father."  
He snorted. "Which one? We've got the asshole, the old man, and… this one. I haven't thought of a good one-liner name for him yet."  
"All of them."  
Oh hell. "Is this mandatory?"  
"For the sake of your progress? Yes." She took out a clipboard. Great, that thing again. "Other than events they were involved in or a brief mention, you've managed to avoid talking about any of the father figures you've had in all our sessions, and I'm curious as to why that is."  
"It's because they're horrible people and I don't like to think about them, there is that good?"  
"Ash..."  
"No."  
"Ash."  
"It's a valid reason."  
" _Ash._ "  
"I'm practicing self care by not talking about them. Don't you always tell me to practice self care more?"

She wasn't amused. "I'm getting the spray bottle."  
"Oh come on! Why do I need to talk about them?!"  
"I'm sure we've had this conversation before. Does 'healing from trauma' sound at all familiar?"  
He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, slumping in the chair. "... Fine. Who are we starting with?"

Well that was awful.  
He was sitting in Max's pickup while the man was inside the house grabbing a few things, apparently he wanted them to have a talk alone. Which was good, since now he had something he needed to say.

It wasn't long before Max came back with a long jacket on, revealing a bottle of whiskey and a pair of shot glasses after he got back in the car. Ash stared in confusion, but the man just grinned. He hadn't had a drink in a while; it was one of Max and Jessica's rules.  
"What's the occasion?"  
"You'll see when we get there."

God, they'd been driving for over an hour before pulling over on the side of a cliff with a view of the cityline.  
"So you brought me to a makeout spot?"  
"No, I brought you to _my_ spot."  
"There's really not much difference."  
Max rolled his eyes before grabbing the bottle and glasses. "Meet you in the back kiddo, we'll talk there."

He shrugged and stepped out of the car, hopping into the cargo bed and sitting down as he watched Max struggle a bit to get up.  
"Old bones failing you pops?"  
"These old bones still have plenty of zest."  
Another shrug. "So what's up with the booze?"  
"This," He held up the bottle and opened it, pouring some into both glasses before continuing. "is a vow that whatever is said tonight, stays between us."  
Max handed him a glass, and Ash smirked as he took it. "So what you're _really_ saying is–"

"Don't tell your mother."  
"'Don't tell your mother'."

They laughed and lightly knocked the glasses together, drinking in silence for a few moments.  
"But before that, uh. I wasn't going to say anything but… have you been crying?"  
Ash flinched and looked away.  
"A little. We– talked about some rough things today."  
"Oh, sorry. You okay bud?"  
"Yeah, yeah I'm just…" Hoo boy here we go. He took a deep breath before finishing the rest of his glass in one gulp. "I love you dad." He couldn't find it in him to meet Max's gaze as he continued, curling into himself some. Being emotionally vulnerable was _definitely_ an unsafe situation. "I– I don't wanna regret not saying that someday because I'm all 'if you even _think_ affectionately in my direction I'll run' and refuse to ever openly admit to actually caring about anyone but–"  
"It's alright Ash. I know. And I love you too kiddo."

He felt overwhelmed by the sheer act of opening up. Why did people do this regularly? _How_ did they do this regularly?  
"So… what did you wanna talk about?"  
"Well you're gonna be heading out soon right?"  
He looked out at the city. "Yeah. This payday's gonna be the one to put me over."  
"Have you told Eiji yet?"  
"Not yet, but I will tonight."  
Max hummed some. "What's gonna happen to your guys?"  
"Whatever they wanna do. I asked Cain if he can take them in if they go to him, but other than that they're on their own."  
"I see." He gestured the bottle at Ash's empty glass, and filled it back up after the teen nodded. "So you haven't told them yet is what I'm hearing?"  
"I'm doing it soon, alright? Cain won't give me an answer until I do."  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Other than that, what else do you still need to do?"  
He thought for a moment. "Pack, obviously." Going through the list of plans in his mind, Ash frowned. "I… I need to talk to Nadia, too. I've been avoiding her this whole time, so I wouldn't be surprised if she hates me now. But I _need_ to apologize for what happened. For what I did to Shorter."  
Max was quiet for a bit as he stared out at the skyline, sighing softly.

"You still need to forgive yourself for a lot."  
What the fuck. Ash stared at him in complete bewilderment. "Huh?"  
"Everyone else too."  
Oh. He was talking about _that_ shit. Ash scowled. "I can't forgive them for what they did. Ever."  
"What? No, not those guys. They don't deserve forgiveness and you have every right to hate them for the rest of your life. I'm talking about the rest of the world."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean somewhere in there you still hold a grudge against everyone on earth more than four years older than you until they prove themselves to you."  
Ash blinked, then squinted at him. "Have you been talking to Rebecca about my sessions? Isn't that a HIPAA violation?"  
"What? No! Sheesh, I've never even personally talked to the lady. But I've seen you around people my age, and everything about you changes."  
"Come on, no it doesn't."  
"You keep a hand over your back pocket the entire time."  
"Well that's because–"  
"You're never more than a foot away from an exit unless you absolutely have to be."  
"I–"  
"And even though you seem relieved as soon as they're gone, it takes you _hours_ to relax again." The teen huffed and pouted, turning away from Max. "You're like a stray cat."  
"I am not!"  
"Ahh, the cat scratched me!"  
Ash grumbled to himself in a way that was decidedly _not at all catlike_ \- from Max's perspective it had in fact been very catlike - and sipped at the whiskey, scowling some.

"Okay, let's say for the sake of the argument that you're right, and that adults put me into fight or flight. So what?"  
"Aren't you trying to start over in Japan?" It took a moment, but the teen reluctantly nodded. "Holding old grudges isn't starting fresh; it's just doing the same thing in a new place."  
Ash was quiet as he ruminated on what the man said. He already knew that, but hearing it put into words was different. "... I'll think about it."  
"That goes for you too kiddo; there's no use in hating yourself for something you couldn't control."  
"I don't hate myself."  
"Then what do you call it Ash?"  
"Recognizing that I'm a fuckup."  
"Well that's just not true. You can't be a fuckup when you didn't have a choice." The teen didn't respond, and Max sighed. "I don't feel like drinking anymore. You want the rest of the bottle?"  
"Wow, great parenting dad."  
"I can always say nevermind and we can go back home if that's what you want?"  
"I never said that." Then Ash snatched the bottle, finishing his glass entirely before working on the rest of the whiskey.

~

The teen had muttered something about feeling dizzy before they'd started the ride back, staring out the window as the radio - Max didn't remember turning it on - played softly. Ash's phone was dangling idly in his hand, screen still lit up with an unfinished text that looked like it was for Eiji.  
"Ash? You still awake?"  
"Mm."  
"I just wanted to say we're all proud of you. You've come a long way from where you started, even just in the time you've spent with me and Jessica." He couldn't see the kid's expression, and it wasn't like he was saying anything, so Max continued. "I think that if that little boy you once were saw you now, he wouldn't be able to recognize you. And honestly? That'd probably make him really happy." All Max got as a response was a soft snore coming from the passenger seat. Smiling to himself, the man turned off the radio and put Ash's phone in the less precarious position of the cupholder. "Sleep tight kiddo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I'd meant this to be a 4 chapter fic, but then I realized that the last chapter was gonna be WAY too long if I didn't split it up, and then I wanted to add an alternate ending, and you know how it goes.


	5. Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is the ultimate smash champion??

"We're disbanding."  
An array of confused voices came in response to the declaration, and Ash raised a hand for silence. "I'm leaving New York for good in December. You're all free to go to wherever or whoever you want; just don't do stupid shit while still representing me, got it?"  
"Boss, if you're leavin' New York, then where're you going?"  
He took a quick glance at all of them before responding. "Japan."

Suddenly cheers erupted from his gang, all of them congratulating him.

What. The fuck. They were disbanding! Why the hell were they congratulating him? Were they stupider than he thought?  
Then he started to pick out more specific things being said, things like "say hi to Eiji for me!" and "I hope you two are happy together!", and he finally understood the excitement.  
Ash felt his face heat up some. "Quit it. You're acting like children."  
Wait.  
THEY _ARE_ CHILDREN.

**Give me back my melanin you ASS**

I told them

How'd they respond?

like a bunch of sentimental idiots

Of course they did  
They care about their boss

I guess  
so?

Im not taking them in publicly  
I can't show favoritism like that, especially not for a bunch of white boys

makes sense

But if your guys need anything I'm there

thanks cain  
I'll tell them

Good luck in Japan Ash.

**those two**

_epic gamer??_  
Cain said youye leaving soon

youye

 _Moon bitch_  
Already?

yeah  
I got the money for it now  
gonna miss me or something?

 _Moon bitch_  
No.  
Who on earth would be sad about someone like you leaving?

 _epic gamer??_  
Yeah its a real mystwru

mystwru

 _Moon bitch_  
Mystwru

 _epic gamer??_  
🔫 Shut up assholes  
I'm gonna need therapy because of u 2

 _Moon bitch_  
Let's hold a celebration of the fact that I'll never have to see you again.  
You'd be the guest of honor.

yeah I feel honored alright

 _Moon bitch_  
Good, it's already working then.

 _epic gamer??_  
I thjnk what he's tryinf to say id cobe over and do somerhing wihh us b4 u go

how can you make so many typos at once  
don't you play on a computer constantly

 _epic gamer??_  
Keybiards bigger  
Antway cine ovet

you've gotta be doing that on purpose now

 _epic gamer??_  
Accuract doesn't matter is ur shooting fast ienough

classic case of gamer brain  
Michael's starting to get like that too

 _epic gamer??_  
I wanna 1v1 hisn in smah

 _Moon bitch_  
…

I'd beat your ass at smash kid

 _epic gamer??_  
Bet  
Come oevt and wtkll plwy  
Stockvthree no iyexms  
Prepare fir a rude awajenibg

what does that even say  
I don't speak baby

 _epic gamer??_  
Fuck yiy

And that was how he wound up back at the Lee estate a week later, standing out front but refusing to approach the door. There was more movement inside than he'd ever seen there before.  
What the hell was going on?

~

"Just to keep everyone on the same page about what's happening, our guest of honor should be here any minute!"  
Sing was streaming on twitch. It would've been a boring stream if they were sticking to the original plans, but after bugging Yue-lung about it for a few hours he'd managed to convince the teen to let him turn their get together into a secret going away party for Ash. A few people from his gang, Cain, and even the old guy Max and his family were there - unbeknownst to Ash of course - along with a _super secret special guest!!!_  
"Guys, he's here!"

~

Ash froze up when the lights came on, instinctually reaching for a weapon he didn't have.  
"Congratulations Ash!"  
There was a banner haphazardly hung up that said 'goodbye new york' in blocky letters, and he spotted a cake with the Japanese flag all over it.  
What the fuck.  
"How did-"  
"You didn't really think we'd let you go without a party did you? Even Yue said it!"  
"I-! No I did not!"  
"Receipts don't lie 情人男孩!"

While Yue-lung looked ready to murder the younger teen, Ash turned to the three members of his previous gang in attendance; Alex, Kong, and Bones.  
"Care to explain why you're here?"  
"I'm chaperoning Bones."  
"I came with Bones…"  
"It sounded like fun! Playing video games with the boss has always been a dream of mine!"  
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"  
"Nah. But free cake!"

Free cake aside, he spotted Cain off to himself.  
"So coming to this… party… isn't showing favoritism for a white boy?"  
"No. You made the disbandment public, so this is just an interaction with an unrelated friend." Ash stared at him unconvinced, and the man shrugged. "Besides, it wasn't a white boy who invited me."  
Of course, his fault for assuming otherwise.

"–been so long since I saw you last! Come down to visit sometime!"  
"No, you should come over here for a visit! Your son's moving out here anyway!  
Oh hell, _two_ old geezers. Upon inspection Ibe seemed to be on video call with Sing, but it was hooked up to a monitor on a TV that definitely hadn't been there a few weeks ago. Their own faces were reflected as well, along with… some kind of chat?  
"Ash! How are you?"  
"Hey kiddo."  
"Is Eiji there? That looks like his place."  
"So much for the surprise…" Just like that, Eiji's face appeared and Ash couldn't help the red dusting on his cheeks for just a split second. "But for tonight I'm Usaji-chan, okay?"  
"'Usaji'?" He thought for a moment. It sounded a lot like _usagi_ , or rabbit.

**❤️I want your love❤️**

now that I think about it  
you'd look really cute in one of those bunny girl costumes

He watched the screen with a small grin, and was quickly rewarded as he saw Eiji open his texts, and a few moments later, his face became a dark red.  
Cutie.

"Alllllllll right! In order to bring our favorite wild cat's ego down to size, we've organized a tourney!" Sing had a fake microphone he was yelling into while facing the screen with the chat, really no different from any sports announcer as far as Ash could tell. "The rules are simple: knock the other player's character off the stage three times, and you win! There will be no items used, and it will be on the standard stage with no hazards! Infinite time, and three stocks! Now, onto our competitors in order of experience!"  
Oh God, the kid was really getting into it.

"To start us off, you all know him as my brother, Yau Siiiiii!!!" Yau Si? Why was that name familiar? "He will be using Sheik, a bold move for someone who only just started playing this morning!" Yue-lung swatted at Sing, and it clicked.  
The teen had used the name Yau Si before, when he was pretending to be Alexis' son. Guess it was just his go-to alias.

"Next up is the man of honor's _boyyyfrieeeend_ Usaji-chaaaaan!!" Eiji (Usaji-chan?) smiled and waved in the camera. Did everyone have some alias for this except him? "This bunny boy will be using one of the many faces of Japan, Pikachuuuu!!"  
Cute character for a cute boy. Made sense.

"Another new player prepared to show her stuff today is Jessicaaa!! I've been told that she's stepping out of her comfort zone today and using Zeroo Suuuuit Samuuuuus!!"  
The chat got rowdy again, but from what the teen could tell it was mostly talking about MILFs. Ugh, was this really Sing's fanbase?

"Our final newcomer is one of the wild cat's former lackeyssss Alex!!" There were some cheers as the teen just sort of stood there, but they all came from Kong and Bones. It was kinda sweet. "This newcomer will be using Isabelle, an interesting choice for someone so inexperienced!!"  
Alex glared at him, and Kong looked like he was thinking really hard about something all of a sudden. Weird.

"Our next tier of experience is the casuaaaaals!!! To start us off, we haaaave Koooooooooong!!" Wow, he hadn't taken Kong as someone to play video games. Then again, Cain was there too, and he seemed even less likely to play video games. "Today Kong will be playing with Yoshiiiii!! A truly underappreciated fighter!"  
Bones just sort of went off the shits.

"Next is one half of a dynamic duo that it pains me to have to announce separately, Ebaaaaaaay!!" Eiji clapped politely on the camera as Ibe flexed. It took less than a second for the name to click, and Ash felt like he lost a few braincells as soon as it did. Wasn't the entire point of an alias to _hide_ your identity? "We have in our midst two old pros at previous generations of smash, and this one will be using Foooooox!! Can he reclaim his title of master using one of the most powerful fighters of the olden days?!?!"  
Way to rub it in how old they are Sing, even Ash felt it.

"Part two of this duo is none other than Maximuuuuuum!!! He however will be breaking away from the pair theme and using Captaiin Falcoooooooooon!!"  
Suddenly it occurred to the teen that apart from Sing - and Yue-lung too, apparently - no one in attendance was really known online. What was the point of the announcing, and the aliases?

"Our final casual player is none other than our resident crackhead, Booooones!!" True to his role, the teen _screamed_ before doing a high kick. What the fuck. "This wild child will be using Piranha Plaaaaaaaant!!"  
Alex suddenly seemed confused despite his excitement, and Ash could've sworn he heard him mutter something along the lines of 'villager'. What the hell was going on?

"Our first pro player is another master hoping to relive the glory days, give it up for the Black King!!" Cain made an 'x' over his chest with his arms before separating them, and the chat went wild. Whoa, did people actually know him? "The King himself will be using Littleeee Maaaaaaaac!!"  
Oh my God, he was watching a grown man air box while a bunch of (what he assumed were) teenagers lost their minds over it. How well was Cain known online?

"Next we have the young and upcoming Michael, using Megaaaaa Maaaaaaaan!!" The boy pumped his fist confidently, and the chat got really active again. Looks like he was a fan favorite already. "This little tyke has been playing for almost a year now, perfecting his skills into what we'll see today! I'm pumped!!"  
Alright, _maybe_ Ash was getting into it now.

"Your favorite man around - me - will be sticking to his guns and using Inkling for this competition! No holds barred!!"  
The chat went wild, comments going far too fast for Ash to make out any of what was said.

"Finally, we've been saving our wild cat of honor for last, give it up for AAAAAASH!!!!!" The entire room burst into applause and cheers, and the teen grinned. He really was getting into it. "According to my sources, Ash's main, the fighter he will be using, is BAYOONETTAAAAAAA!!"  
Swept up in the excitement, Ash struck one of her winning poses and laughed. He was having fun for once; genuine, lighthearted fun. It felt unreal.

_"Game!"_ Everyone had been on the edge of their seats for the final game, and once the sound went out the room - and the chat - pretty much just started collectively screaming as Ash jumped out of his seat, pumping his fists in the air. He fucking won! Against _Cain!_ He hadn't even _known_ Cain was ranked #39 worldwide until about two hours ago and now he'd fucking beat him!

~

"Your boys are amazing; I almost got beat by both of them."  
Things had calmed down a lot, now that the party was over, and Cain was sitting on the curb talking with the victor and his family - somehow the boys' father was the only one of the four of them to not make it to the semifinals, must've been a bad match up.  
"How'd you do that grab anyway mister The King?" came a voice from further down, and he chuckled.  
"You can just call me Cain little man. And I counted frames for the grab."  
"'Counted frames'?"  
Right, this kid was only eight years old; how would he know about frame data?

Hell, if this kid could have him so far on the ropes to be down to one stock without knowing about frames, he had a lot of potential.  
"Well, there's a really small period of time that's called a frame, and doing anything from running around to falling off the screen takes up frames. A lot of mega man's attacks leave him open for a few frames, so I grabbed you during one."  
"Ohhh… isn't that almost like cheating?"  
"Not at all; it's actually a pro strategy. Wanna learn how to do it?"  
Michael jumped up from the curb, eyes practically sparkling in excitement. "Would I?!" He then turned to the man Max, unable to sit still anymore. "Can I daddy? Please can I?!?!"  
"Actually, I'd love to teach your son what I know; he has the makings of a champion."

The man looked deep in thought for a moment before he nodded firmly, stroking an… imaginary beard? Ash's family was weird.  
"I shall entrust my son's progression in the art of beating people up in videogames to you, sir Black King."  
_Really_ weird.

~

**❤️I want your love❤️**

  
so how does it feel to date the man who beat the black king

私のボーイフレンドが代わりに流暢な日本語を話すことを願っています.

エインゴリシュおねがい🙏

*英語


	6. Home

Even at night the airport was bustling with activity, evidenced enough by the mass of stares Ash and Michael's trek to the upper levels in order to conduct a very scientific experiment about the echo in an enclosed space that involved both of them screaming at the top of their lungs received. It was the last time they were going to see each other for a while; they could cause a bit of mayhem. Apologies came with wide grins; ones that said that if the opportunity arose, it would absolutely happen again.

They arrived at 8, but his flight wasn't until 9. He didn't understand the reasoning behind it until they actually started moving. Going through security and luggage was a hassle, and even though his gun was miles away he still felt like they were going to find a weapon on him at any second.  
Understanding the root cause of these habits helped in some ways, but they didn't stop them from happening. Thanks for nothing of practical use, therapy. He was sure Rebecca would laugh if she heard that, then wondered if it would be alright to call her some time as a friend, rather than a patient.

They got through with 15 minutes to spare - something Max seemed incredibly proud of - so they stopped and let out a collective sigh. 20 hours. He was set to arrive at 6 in the morning of the 23rd - Michael had bombarded him with questions about why it wouldn't be the 22nd, then after being informed about timezones he demanded to know why Japan was in the future - and once again felt a twinge of guilty gratitude when he looked at Max and Jessica. His parents. Oh god, he had actual _parents_ for once in his life and he was _leaving_ them.  
His eyes started to sting, and he immediately blinked back any tears before they had the chance to form.

"Ash? You alright champ?"  
"I'm fine, just… a little overwhelmed, I guess."  
"Having second thoughts about going?"  
He looked away. "... Yeah."  
They went silent, and he didn't look up.  
After a bit his phone buzzed in his pocket, and Ash finally went to check it.

**Family chat**

_Jessica_  
Figured youd rather talk here  
Wanna explain a bit?

it's stupid

 _Jessica_  
Your father's stupid  
We still listen to him

 _Max_  
D:<  
We're talking about that later  
But we wanna hear from u first

It just sorta feels like im abandoning the chance to really be in a family

 _Max_  
Ash…

I told you it was stupid

 _Jessica_  
Well  
It is kinda stupid  
But only because youre always gonna be in our family  
No matter how far away you are

 _Max_  
Yeah  
Ur stuck with us kiddo  
No running away from that

Ash hastily shoved his phone back into his pocket as he grit his teeth, hugging them both tightly. "I–" His voice wouldn't come properly as he fought back tears, and he felt two sets of arms wrap around him while Michael squeezed himself between them. "I love you guys…" He finally managed to choke it out between shaky breaths, vaguely aware of the announcement that his flight was boarding economy passengers.  
"We love you too Ash."

The hug persisted for a bit longer before the teen recomposed himself and pulled back, clearing his throat. "I should get going, uh, they're starting to board people."  
"Alright. Good luck out there kid."  
"And be sure to call us every now and then, got it?"  
He smiled and nodded, picking up his bag before starting towards the gate.

"Heeeeey booooooooossssss!!"

When he turned around there was a small army of people standing at the gate, and he recognized all of them. They were his former gang, his family, his friends, everyone in New York he had grown to care about, and it had never occurred to him before then _just how many_ people cared about him; hell even Yue-Lang was there, just barely visible past the pillar he was pouting behind.  
Bones was the one to come up to him, handing over a small gift bag with the handles tied together in the most intricate knot he'd ever seen to keep it shut.

"What–"  
"It's from all of us in the gang. Don't open it until you meet up with Eiji in Japan, okay? No peeking!"

He stared at the bag in his hands. What the hell was in it for him to not be allowed to open it right there? Was it porn? Oh he was going to come right back to beat the shit out of all of them if it was porn. "... Alright?"

Bones grinned from ear to ear. "And no matter what, you'll always be our boss 'Kay? Never forget it!"

There was a wide array of cheers and fist pumping from the guys in response, and Ash felt his chest tighten.  
Nope, no way in hell. There was no way he was gonna get emotional _again_ and cry in front of all these people, fuck that. He kept a deadpan expression and shrugged as his flight was called once more.  
Turning back around and keeping his head high as he went ahead, Ash raised a hand to wave to the crowd of people still yelling behind him.

It was 6:52 in the morning on December 23rd when he arrived in Izumo. After getting his luggage back the teen thought he'd be fine when seeing the other again, but once Eiji yelled his name and started running upon catching sight of him, all his restraint went flying out the window.  
Ash dropped everything and broke into a mad dash for Eiji, the two colliding with each other and holding on for dear life to whatever they could find. He'd made it. He'd gone through hell and back, but Ash finally made it.

He buried his face into Eiji's hair, voice strained as he spoke. "ただいま."  
He felt the other smile against him, and heard it in his response. "お帰りなさい、アッシュ."


	7. Alternate ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For all my sickos (said very lovingly) out there who like angst endings

As the lights in the library dimmed, the young man smiled faintly in his sleep and muttered something inaudibly before breathing his last, going still.  
It was a good dream.


End file.
